By universal consent, Thomas Aquinas is the preeminent spokesman of the Catholic tradition of reason and of divine revelation. He is one of the great teachers of the medieval Catholic Church, honored with the titles Doctor of the Church and Angelic Doctor.

At five he was given to the Benedictine monastery at Monte Cassino in his parents' hopes that he would choose that way of life and eventually became abbot. In 1239 he was sent to Naples to complete his studies. It was here that he was first attracted to Aristotle's philosophy.

By 1243, Thomas abandoned his family's plans for him and joined the Dominicans, much to his mother's dismay. On her order, Thomas was captured by his brother and kept at home for over a year.

Once free, he went to Paris and then to Cologne, where he finished his studies with Albert the Great. He held two professorships at Paris, lived at the court of Pope Urban IV, directed the Dominican schools at Rome and Viterbo, combated adversaries of the mendicants, as well as the Averroists, and argued with some Franciscans about Aristotelianism.

His greatest contribution to the Catholic Church is his writings. The unity, harmony and continuity of faith and reason, of revealed and natural human knowledge, pervades his writings. One might expect Thomas, as a man of the gospel, to be an ardent defender of revealed truth. But he was broad enough, deep enough, to see the whole natural order as coming from God the Creator, and to see reason as a divine gift to be highly cherished.

The Summa Theologiae, his last and, unfortunately, uncompleted work, deals with the whole of Catholic theology. He stopped work on it after celebrating Mass on December 6, 1273. When asked why he stopped writing, he replied, "I cannot go on.... All that I have written seems to me like so much straw compared to what I have seen and what has been revealed to me." He died March 7, 1274.

Comment:

We can look to Thomas Aquinas as a towering example of Catholicism in the sense of broadness, universality and inclusiveness. We should be determined anew to exercise the divine gift of reason in us, our power to know, learn and understand. At the same time we should thank God for the gift of his revelation, especially in Jesus Christ.

Quote:

"Hence we must say that for the knowledge of any truth whatsoever man needs divine help, that the intellect may be moved by God to its act. But he does not need a new light added to his natural light, in order to know the truth in all things, but only in some that surpasses his natural knowledge" (Summa Theologiae, I-II, 109, 1).

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Daily Prayer - 2016-01-28

Presence

"Come to me all you who are burdened and I will give you rest"Here I am, Lord.I come to seek your presence.I long for your healing power.

Freedom

It is so easy to get caught up with the trappings of wealth in this life.Grant, O Lord, that I may be free from greed and selfishness.Remind me that the best things in life are free. Love, laughter, caring and sharing.

Consciousness

How am I really feeling? Lighthearted? Heavy-hearted? I may be very much at peace, happy to be here. Equally, I may be frustrated, worried or angry. I acknowledge how I really am. It is the real me that the Lord loves.

The Word of God

After Nathan had spoken to King David, the king went in and sat before the LORD and said, "Who am I, Lord GOD, and who are the members of my house, that you have brought me to this point? Yet even this you see as too little, Lord GOD; you have also spoken of the house of your servant for a long time to come: this too you have shown to man, Lord GOD!

"You have established for yourself your people Israel as yours forever, and you, LORD, have become their God. And now, LORD God, confirm for all time the prophecy you have made concerning your servant and his house, and do as you have promised. Your name will be forever great, when men say, 'The LORD of hosts is God of Israel,' and the house of your servant David stands firm before you. It is you, LORD of hosts, God of Israel, who said in a revelation to your servant, 'I will build a house for you.' Therefore your servant now finds the courage to make this prayer to you. And now, Lord GOD, you are God and your words are truth; you have made this generous promise to your servant. Do, then, bless the house of your servant that it may be before you forever; for you, Lord GOD, have promised, and by your blessing the house of your servant shall be blessed forever."

R. (Lk 1:32b) The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father. LORD, remember David and all his anxious care; How he swore an oath to the LORD, vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob. R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father. "I will not enter the house where I live, nor lie on the couch where I sleep; I will give my eyes no sleep, my eyelids no rest, Till I find a home for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob." R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father. The LORD swore an oath to David a firm promise from which he will not withdraw: "Your own offspring I will set upon your throne." R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father. "If your sons keep my covenant, and the decrees which I shall teach them, Their sons, too, forever shall sit upon your throne." R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father. For the LORD has chosen Zion, he prefers her for his dwelling: "Zion is my resting place forever; in her I will dwell, for I prefer her." R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.

Jesus said to his disciples, "Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light. Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear." He also told them, "Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you. To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."

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Some thoughts on today's scripture

When Jesus begins revealing the earth-changing coming of his kingdom, he doesn't want the teaching twisted to their own ends by political agitators or by sensationalists; so he sometimes makes his points in a veiled way -- fully explaining them later to a circle of trusted followers.

Once these preachers of his message have mastered its true sense, then everything will come out into the light - just as the householder positions the lamp to fill the whole space. Then, too, will be the time for the true follower to let the example of her or his life shine before the eyes of all -- the time for that light to shine far and wide like the light from a city illuminated at night.

In the everyday encounters and situations of my life are there areas where I can witness to the light of faith and the joy of knowing Jesus?

Conversation

How has God's Word moved me? Has it left me cold? Has it consoled me or moved me to act in a new way? I imagine Jesus standing or sitting beside me, I turn and share my feelings with him.

Conclusion

I thank God for these few moments we have spent alone together and for any insights I may have been given concerning the text.

Meditation: 2 Samuel 7:18-19, 24-29

Who am I, Lord God ... that you have brought me to this point? Yet even this you see as too little. (2 Samuel 7:18-19)

Self-help programs have been popular for decades, and it's no wonder. First, you identify an area of your life that you want to change or a good habit you want to foster. Then, you find a book outlining steps that are supposed to bring about the desired result. But often, the outcome is a change in outward behavior, not an inner shift. So the old ways return easily, and you look for yet another program or book to help you.

David had just received a word from the Lord through Nathan. Not only would God continue to bless David, but he had also promised that "your house and your kingdom are firm forever before me" (2 Samuel 7:16). David had seen God's power and authority many times in his life before this. Yet in this moment, he knew that God wanted to show him more. He saw God's complete generosity. And that revelation overwhelmed the mighty king.

David sat before the Lord in total awe. Almost speechless, he finally found his voice to praise and worship God. He no longer wanted his ways, he wanted God's ways; he only wanted to lay his life before God and allow God to do the work that he had promised to do.

It may be hard to imagine, but asking God to reveal who he is really can change our lives—and far more powerfully than a self-help book ever could. He wants to plant his revelation deep in our hearts. He wants to show us newer and newer facets of his love, his justice, his mercy, and his compassion. Revelations like these can break through any barriers we may have set up between ourselves and him—or between ourselves and the people around us. They can fill us with joy and change our perspective on any circumstance.

We have a very generous God. No matter what he has already shown us, he still considers it "too little" (2 Samuel 7:19). Isn't it wonderful to have a God like this?

"Father, come and open my heart to know you more. Because you are fathomless, there is no end to what you want to show me. Lord, let me see your face!"